Scalable Method and Architecture for an Active Switch Defining a Network Edge Having Multiple Uplinks and Using Wavelength Division Multiplexing

1. An optical switch for use in a broadband network comprising: a packet processing switch module for switching signals present at a plurality of fast Ethernet ports and a plurality of high speed Ethernet ports; a plurality of transceiver modules for interfacing signals between the ports and the switch module; a passive backplane adapted to mechanically receive said switch module and said plurality of transceiver modules, the backplane configured to pass signals between said switch module and said plurality of transceiver modules; wherein one of the plurality of transceiver modules includes a first high-speed Ethernet uplink transceiver module having first and second high-speed Ethernet uplink ports for interfacing corresponding first and second signals between said first and second ports and said packet processing switch module; and wherein a second high speed Ethernet uplink transceiver module includes a daisy-chain transceiver module for interconnecting the optical switch to a daisy-chain transceiver of another optical switch.

2. An optical switch for use in a broadband network comprising: a packet processing switch module for switching signals present at a plurality of fast Ethernet ports and a plurality of high speed Ethernet ports; a plurality of transceiver modules for interfacing signals between the ports and the switch module; a passive backplane adapted to mechanically receive said switch module and said plurality of transceiver modules, the backplane configured to pass signals between said switch module and said plurality of transceiver modules; wherein at least one of the transceiver modules includes a high-speed Ethernet uplink transceiver, said high-speed Ethernet uplink transceiver further including a physical layer device; and wherein at least one of the downlink transceiver modules comprises four fast Ethernet downlink ports.

3. An optical switch for use in a broadband network comprising: a packet processing switch module for switching signals present at a plurality of fast Ethernet ports and a plurality of high speed Ethernet ports; a plurality of transceiver modules for interfacing signals between the ports and the switch module; and a passive backplane adapted to mechanically receive said switch module and said plurality of transceiver modules, the backplane configured to pass signals between said switch module and said plurality of transceiver modules; and wherein at least one of the transceiver modules includes a fast Ethernet downlink transceiver module having four downlink ports.

4. An optical switch for use in a broadband network comprising: a packet processing switch module for switching signals present at a plurality of fast Ethernet ports and a plurality of high speed Ethernet ports; a plurality of transceiver modules for interfacing signals between the ports and the switch module; a passive backplane adapted to mechanically receive said switch module and said plurality of transceiver modules, the backplane configured to pass signals between said switch module and said plurality of transceiver modules; wherein at least one of the transceiver modules includes a high-speed Ethernet uplink transceiver, said high-speed Ethernet uplink transceiver further including a physical layer device; wherein at least one of the downlink transceiver modules comprises four fast Ethernet downlink ports; wherein at least one of the downlink ports connects the switch to a subscriber premise equipment device.

5. An optical switch for use in a broadband network comprising: a packet processing switch module for switching signals present at a plurality of fast Ethernet ports and a plurality of high speed Ethernet ports; a plurality of transceiver modules for interfacing signals between the ports and the switch module; a passive backplane adapted to mechanically receive said switch module and said plurality of transceiver modules, the backplane configured to pass signals between said switch module and said plurality of transceiver modules; wherein the high speed Ethernet ports are uplink ports for passing signals between the switch and the network; and wherein one of the uplink ports provides DWDM capability for interconnecting with a DWDM multiplexer/demultiplexer for interfacing the switch to the network.

6. An optical switch for use in a broadband network comprising: a packet processing switch module for switching signals present at a plurality of fast Ethernet ports and a plurality of high speed Ethernet ports; a plurality of transceiver modules for interfacing signals between the ports and the switch module; a passive backplane adapted to mechanically receive said switch module and said plurality of transceiver modules, the backplane configured to pass signals between said switch module and said plurality of transceiver modules; wherein the high speed Ethernet ports are uplink ports for passing signals between the switch and the network; wherein one of the uplink ports provides DWDM capability for interconnecting with a DWDM multiplexer/demultiplexer for interfacing the switch to the network; and wherein the DWDM uplink ports communicatively connects to a central office/head-end device via a single fiber.

7. A network for distributing bi-directional high bandwidth traffic signals from a central office/head end to a plurality of subscribers comprising: at least one distribution switch having active components for routing traffic signals between a high speed Ethernet uplink port and a plurality of subscriber fast Ethernet downlink ports; wherein the at least one switch further comprises a plurality of uplink transceivers and a plurality of downlink transceivers, each uplink transceiver defining at least one uplink port and each downlink transceiver defining more than two downlink ports; and wherein the at least one switch includes six downlink transceivers, each downlink transceiver defining four downlink ports.

8. A network for distributing bi-directional high bandwidth traffic signals from a central office/head end to a plurality of subscribers comprising: at least one distribution switch having active components for routing traffic signals between a high speed Ethernet uplink port and a plurality of subscriber fast Ethernet downlink ports; wherein the at least one switch further comprises a plurality of uplink transceivers and a plurality of downlink transceivers, each uplink transceiver defining at least one uplink port and each downlink transceiver defining more than two downlink ports; and further comprising a first switch and a second switch, wherein the first switch includes a first uplink port and a second uplink port, the second uplink port being communicatively connected via an aggregating fiber pair to an uplink port of the first switch for operating the first switch as a master and the second switch as a slave in a daisy-chain manner.

9. A network for distributing bi-directional high bandwidth traffic signals from a central office/head end to a plurality of subscribers comprising: at least one distribution switch having active components for routing traffic signals between a high speed Ethernet uplink port and a plurality of subscriber fast Ethernet downlink ports; wherein the at least one switch further comprises a plurality of uplink transceivers and a plurality of downlink transceivers, each uplink transceiver defining at least one uplink port and each downlink transceiver defining more than two downlink ports; and further comprising a plurality of active distribution switches and at least one DWDM mux/demux aggregator, the at least one aggregator being communicatively connected to an uplink port of each switch via an aggregating fiber pair for aggregating uplink traffic of the active switches with a single uplink fiber between the aggregator and the central office/head end.

10. A network for distributing bi-directional high bandwidth traffic signals from a central office/head end to a plurality of subscribers comprising: at least one distribution switch having active components for routing traffic signals between a high speed Ethernet uplink port and a plurality of subscriber fast Ethernet downlink ports; wherein the at least one switch further comprises a plurality of uplink transceivers and a plurality of downlink transceivers, each uplink transceiver defining at least one uplink port and each downlink transceiver defining more than two downlink ports; further comprising a plurality of active distribution switches and at least one DWDM mux/demux aggregator, the at least one aggregator being communicatively connected to an uplink port of each switch via an aggregating fiber pair for aggregating uplink traffic of the active switches with a single uplink fiber between the aggregator and the central office/head end; and wherein one aggregator and the switches connected thereto define a local fiber network.

11. A network for distributing bi-directional high bandwidth traffic signals from a central office/head end to a plurality of subscribers comprising: at least one distribution switch having active components for routing traffic signals between a high speed Ethernet uplink port and a plurality of subscriber fast Ethernet downlink ports; wherein the at least one switch further comprises a plurality of uplink transceivers and a plurality of downlink transceivers, each uplink transceiver defining at least one uplink port and each downlink transceiver defining more than two downlink ports; further comprising a plurality of active distribution switches and at least one DWDM mux/demux aggregator, the at least one aggregator being communicatively connected to an uplink port of each switch via an aggregating fiber pair for aggregating uplink traffic of the active switches with a single uplink fiber between the aggregator and the central office/head end; wherein one aggregator and the switches connected thereto define a local fiber network; and wherein at least one of the active switches is a master switch of a daisy chain subgroup of switches.

12. A network for distributing bi-directional high bandwidth traffic signals from a central office/head end to a plurality of subscribers comprising: at least one distribution switch having active components for routing traffic signals between a high speed Ethernet uplink port and a plurality of subscriber fast Ethernet downlink ports; wherein the at least one switch further comprises a plurality of uplink transceivers and a plurality of downlink transceivers, each uplink transceiver defining at least one uplink port and each downlink transceiver defining more than two downlink ports; further comprising a plurality of active distribution switches and at least one DWDM mux/demux aggregator, the at least one aggregator being communicatively connected to an uplink port of each switch via an aggregating fiber pair for aggregating uplink traffic of the active switches with a single uplink fiber between the aggregator and the central office/head end; wherein one aggregator and the switches connected thereto define a local fiber network; and further comprising a plurality of local fiber networks.

13. A network for distributing bi-directional high bandwidth traffic signals from a central office/head end to a plurality of subscribers comprising: at least one distribution switch having active components for routing traffic signals between a high speed Ethernet uplink port and a plurality of subscriber fast Ethernet downlink ports; wherein the at least one switch further comprises a plurality of uplink transceivers and a plurality of downlink transceivers, each uplink transceiver defining at least one uplink port and each downlink transceiver defining more than two downlink ports; further comprising a plurality of active distribution switches and at least one DWDM mux/demux aggregator, the at least one aggregator being communicatively connected to an uplink port of each switch via an aggregating fiber pair for aggregating uplink traffic of the active switches with a single uplink fiber between the aggregator and the central office/head end; wherein one aggregator and the switches connected thereto define a local fiber network further comprising a plurality of local fiber networks; and wherein an uplink port a switch belonging to a first local fiber network is communicatively connected to an uplink port of a switch belonging to a second local fiber network via a cross-connect fiber pair.